Slagorde van de het Geallieerde leger onder de Heer van Ouwerkerk, ca. 1701-1715 1701 - 1715

Curator: This drawing, "Slagorde van de het Geallieerde leger onder de Heer van Ouwerkerk," dates from around 1701-1715 and is attributed to Samuel Du Ry de Champdoré. It's made with ink on paper. Editor: It almost looks like a diagram of something rather than art. What do you see in this piece, focusing on its pure form? Curator: Initially, I'm drawn to its abstract quality. Consider the deployment of linear elements; notice the use of parallel lines and color blocks. These design choices structure the overall composition of the document and can act as a bridge for interpreting meaning through the structure, organization and patterns revealed within. Editor: So, the rows of lines and colors aren’t necessarily about representing soldiers. Curator: Not directly, no. They function as structural devices. The ink, applied meticulously, articulates divisions and groupings within the documented array. Look how this organization of line, form, and limited color palette gives form to the whole. The parchment, serving as a substrate, interacts with the ink to contribute visual texture, giving a deeper structural and philosophical quality that invites extended meditation on the image’s meaning. Editor: That's interesting! So it's not just about what it represents, but how those elements interact and create something new, an intrinsic aesthetic and semantic significance. Curator: Precisely. Our understanding expands as we analyze the relational characteristics between form and content. Editor: This formalist perspective really encourages us to view artworks through a new, much closer lens, paying attention to what makes something what it is.